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Built on land reclaimed from Back Bay in 1920,Marine Drive running into Chowpatti Seafaceand Walkeshwar Marg, sweeps along the shoreof the Arabian Sea from Nariman Point past Chowpatti Beach to the foot of Malabar Hill.Lined with flaking Art Deco apartments and aseries of gymkhanas where grand weddings areoften held, this is one of Mumbai's most popularpromenades and sunset-watching spots. The lights that twinkle along the promenade at nightgive it its nickname, 'the Queen's Necklace'.Chowpatti Beach, scene of the riotous climax ofthe Ganesh Chaturthi festival, remains a favorite evening spot for courting couples, families, polit-ical rallies and anyone out to enjoy what passesfor fresh air. Eating bhelpuri (crisp fried thinrounds of dough mixed with puffed rice, friedlentils, lemon juice, chopped onions, herbs and chutney) at the collection of stalls on the edge ofthe beach at night is an essential part of theMumbai experience, as is getting a vigoroushead rub from a malish-wallah (head masseur).Sunbathing or swimming at this beach is absolutely not recommended.

This 104 sq km protected area of forested hills, onthe city's northern fringe, has some interestingflora, birdlife and butterflies, a small populationof wild leopards and a fenced area with captivetigers, including two white tigers. It's a great asset to have within the city limits - the onlynational park in India with a city postcode - butit's under serious threat from urban encroach-ment, and the public areas close to theentrance are littered and unkempt. Just inside the main northern entrance is an informationcentre with a small exhibition on the park'swildlife. The best time to see birds is October toApril and butterflies August to November. Formany visitors (mostly Indian families) the main attraction is the lion and tiger safari. Thesedepart from the tiger orientation centre (a freedisplay explaining the demise of the tiger),about 1km in from the main entrance. Safaribuses leave roughly every 20 minutes from 9am to 12.40pm and 2pm to 5.20pm daily exceptMonday. Another major attraction in the parkare the 109 Kanheri Caves

KOTACHI WADI: A wadi that has miraculously survived amid the high-rise jumbleof South Mumbai is Kotachiwadi, an East Indian Christian enclave of some 30-odd elegant two-storey wooden mansions.A 10-minute or so walk northeast of Chowpatti, Kotachiwadi is a little difficult to find: aim for St Teresa's Church on the corner of Jagannath Shankarsheth Marg and RR Roy Marg (Charni Rd) then duck into the warren of streets directly opposite.Anantashram a eating house famous for malwani konkani seafood just there in wadi.The quality of food and discipline are important points for its fame.